The Best Man's Baby: A BWWM Pregnancy Romance (7 page)

In fact, it seemed that some of the customers were just as interested in catching up with Carla as they were in buying her baked goods. She was so friendly and open and Daniel enjoyed watching her brighten up peoples’ days.

He joined the line and felt out of place in his expensive suit among all the happy and carefree people gathered there, all talking with one another and seeming at home. Finally, he reached the head of the line and couldn't help but laugh, when Carla looked up, spotted him and exclaimed "Gosh!" with wide eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him with a gasp.

"I wanted to talk to you,” he   said with a soft smile.

"Oh." Carla looked around her busy store and asked him if he wouldn't mind waiting. He nodded amiably and walked off to stand at the side of the store to wait for her. He was enjoying the time away from the firm; watching people in good moods enjoy good treats. Finally, Carla was free and she invited Daniel into the kitchen to speak in private.

"I hope you don't mind me dropping by,” he said looking around her kitchen with interest.

“No. Is everything alright?"

"I felt like maybe I was too... standoffish with you when you came by yesterday. The news was a shock to me, of course, but I just wanted you to know that I do want to be involved, not just by helping out with costs, but with helping you with the pregnancy and then, when the baby comes, being involved as the father."

Carla smiled widely and she stepped forward to hug him from gratitude. Daniel was surprised by her display of affection and patted her back awkwardly until she drew back. He felt himself blush in the first time since he couldn't remember when. Daniel was great at seducing women, but he still felt like an awkward teenager when a girl wasn't being sensual, but was instead, affectionate.

"That's all I wanted to say." Daniel said, pushing his hands down into the pockets of his pants.

"I'm glad you came." Carla told him with a smile.

The two looked uncertainly at one another for a moment until Daniel said he had to go and waving goodbye to her, he left the bakery. Seeing Carla in her own world made her seem all the more beautiful. Daniel had thought she was very attractive, but it was when he saw her interacting with other people that he could see that she was also kind and open. She encompassed all of the things that were missing in the harsh business world he lived in. He was still unsure about the prospect of a new baby, but he resolved to do what he could to be there for both Carla and the child.

Chapter5

It was a relief for Daniel to get away from Brooke's constant complaining and demands for a while, in order to accompany Carla to her first sonogram. He hadn't told his girlfriend about the pregnancy because he knew that she would blow up over it and Daniel was in too much of a panic over the situation already, to deal with her having a fit of rage.

Instead, he just continued with her as though nothing had happened and was grateful for once to have a distant girlfriend as it meant that she didn't notice his agitation or question his absences.

Daniel met Carla at the doctor's office and she smiled shyly at him. She wasn't yet showing, but Daniel was sure that she appeared to be glowing more than before. He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and guided her into the clinic with an arm around her shoulder.

"Are you nervous?" Carla asked him anxiously. "I'm nervous."

It was twelve weeks since the wedding and for Carla, the pregnancy still hadn't quite sunk in. She felt like she was living in some strange dream, even more so when Daniel put his arm around her. The lawyer was always so calm and collected as though nothing fazed him. Carla wished for some break in his professional manner and something more emotional to show. He reached out for her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"There's nothing to worry about,” he told her with a warm smile. "This is only a sonogram."

"To check if everything's OK." Carla added with wide eyes. "What will we do if there's a medical issue?

He stopped short for a moment at her comment and then shook his head. "Let's just hope for one healthy baby." Daniel said with a calming smile.

They entered the examining room and Carla laid on the table and lifted her top to show her slender stomach. The consultant covered her belly in a fine layer of cold gel, prepared the machine, and then began to run the wand over Carla's middle. Carla gasped at the coolness of the gel and reached for Daniel's hand from nerves.

Daniel took hold of it and felt once again that rare shyness that came over him when a woman was sharing genuine emotion with him. He turned his attention to the consultant instead, to shake the uncomfortable feeling of timidity.

"How is everything?" he asked.

"Just a moment..." the consultant murmured. She captured a few screenshots of the image and then smiled reassuringly. "Everything is fine," she told them. "You have one healthy baby in there. It will be a while before we can tell you the gender, but I can confirm the date of conception and give you a due date of the fifteenth of May."

"The fifteenth of May!" Carla gasped. "Daniel, did you hear that?"

"I heard," he said in a whisper.

Carla was disappointed that there was not more awe or emotion in Daniel's voice, but she didn't know that beneath his calm veneer, a strange feeling of longing was beginning to stir. He'd never thought that he'd want children until much, much later, but seeing the screen shots of his tiny bean-sized baby and hearing its heartbeat as it pulsed through the machine, he felt an instant bond to his unborn child and to its mother.

The consultant printed the photographs and handed them to the couple.

"Do you want to keep one?" Carla asked him, offering him a print.

Daniel did, but he knew that Brooke was the nosy type and he didn't want her to find out about the pregnancy through a photo found in his sock drawer or wallet. He shook his head.

Carla didn't understand his indifference. Daniel had said that he wanted to be involved, but he was as hard as steel as he went through the process while Carla was a mess. She felt every kind of emotion coursing through her; fear, excitement, panic, love.

They went their separate ways after the scan and Carla didn't see him again until the following week when he came to pick up copies of her medical bills, which he had insisted he pay in full. She invited him in to wait as she went for the paperwork and offered him a coffee, which he accepted.

She gathered the documents and she laid them on the coffee table of her tiny little sitting room, before bringing out two cupcakes to eat with their coffee and curling up beside Daniel on the sofa.

She was wearing her old jeans and an oversized knitted sweater. If she had known Daniel was coming, she would have worn something more flattering. He didn't seem to notice. In fact, he seemed a little downcast.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"Hmm?" Daniel replied. He looked up at her as though breaking out of a trance and looked at her with a vague smile. "Oh, yes, I'm fine." he said. "I've just had a long day."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Carla invited.

"You don't want to hear about it." Daniel assured her. "It's dull work."

"I thought you said it was thrilling." She smiled at him wryly.

"It can be." Daniel nodded. "It can also be frustrating and endless."

"Tell me." Carla repeated, looking earnestly at him.

The lawyer couldn't imagine that Carla genuinely wanted to hear about his warrants and disclosures and arguments with judges, but she was leaning forward with an open expression and waiting to listen, so he gave in and began to talk.

As he told her about his day and she listened with no judgment, competitive interjections or criticisms, he began to feel some of his pressure drift away and before he realized it, an hour had passed.

"I've been keeping you," he said apologetically.

"It's not a problem." Carla assured him. "I was just staying in tonight. To be honest, it's nice to have some company. It's also nice to get to know you. I mean, it's been a strange start, but you're going to be the father of my child. We are going to be working together for rest of our lives with this baby."

Daniel let out a long breath at the thought. "I've hardly had time to let it sink in." he told her.

"Tell me about it!" Carla said with a light laugh. She picked up her cupcake and peeled off the paper, taking a bite of the sponge and getting pink frosting on her nose.

Daniel spotted it and laughed out loud. Carla was taken aback at the sound. She'd never heard him laugh and her eyes widened in surprise which made Daniel laugh again and he reached over to wipe off the frosting with his thumb. He picked up his own cupcake.

"You made this yourself?" he guessed.

"I did." she said, lifting her chin proudly.

He peeled back the paper and took a bite. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten something sweet and simple like a cupcake. He was a vol-au-vent and aperitif sort of man, but as soon as he bit into the frosting, he knew he'd been missing out. He chewed with an appreciative sound and swallowed.

"Amazing. You’re good at this."

"I am, aren't I?" she replied with a laugh. "It must be good. You're smiling."

"I smile." Daniel said defensively, lowering one brow at her.

"‘I smile’." Carla mocked, mimicking his serious expression.

A genuine smile of amusement formed on Daniel's face. It had been a while since someone had made him laugh. He enjoyed being in the company of a woman who felt comfortable enough to tease him. Brooke barely felt comfortable enough to have a conversation that wasn't about work.

"I guess I've been a bit overworked lately," he confessed with a tired sigh. "It's hard to shake it off at the end of the day."

"Mmm." Carla sympathized. "It seems to me that you just need to learn to relax."

The baker bit into her cake again and this time got frosting around her lips. Daniel noticed it and smiled again.

"You've got frosting on your mouth." he told her.

"Where?" she reached a hand to her mouth to wipe it away, but missed.

Daniel leaned in to wipe it away again and then, before he'd really thought about what he was doing, he kissed her instead; softly, and sweetly. Carla let him kiss her but when he drew back she stayed frozen in surprise, though her heart was about to beat right out of her chest.

"I'm not looking for anything serious,” she repeated in a slow whisper.

"Me neither." Daniel replied, that hungry and haunted look coming to his face once more. She gasped and felt fire burst in her, consuming her with need for him. She slipped her arms around his neck and just like that, they lost control of themselves once again, giving in to that animal attraction that drew them together like magnets.

His hands moved over her clothes and into her hair as he kissed her hotly, growing breathless as his need for her became urgent. She smelled so good, she felt so soft and strong, and there was something about the knowledge that part of him was already growing inside her, that made him need her desperately.

Daniel's lips ran over her ear and neck and he whispered, "Make love with me...,” and then he chuckled, "I promise not get you pregnant this time."

She laughed a little, but her body was anxious for him and the smile faded as her lips moved over his skin. They pulled each other's clothes off and worked their way to her small bedroom. She laid him down on her bed and though part of her wanted to indulge in him, her raging hormones demanded satisfaction and the feel of him inside of her. She straddled him and he moaned loudly as she slid his thick erection deep into her, and began to move with him and against him. He grasped her hips and rocked her gently at first, but then harder, and more swiftly as their passion ignited in a blaze. He pulled her toward him and closed his mouth around her dark nipples, sucking and tugging on them with his lips and teeth, making her arch her back and minutes later, she came on him, sighing sweetly and moaning as the ecstasy overtook her.

Watching her like that only increased his hunger for her, and he drove himself deeper into her, pulling her to him and kissing her hard, his hands tight on her body. He lost himself in their heat and pleasure, just as uninhibited and sensually as she did, reveling in the feeling that there was so much more to their connection than just sex. She climaxed again, he couldn't stop himself and he came with her, the two of them reaching a pinnacle together, and then drifting back down to earth in each other's arms.

Daniel and Carla pulled themselves apart slowly and breathlessly, and after some long quiet moments, Daniel got dressed once again. He didn't know if it was the easy conversation with a friendly woman, the indulgence of eating a sweet cupcake or the mind-blowing sex, but Daniel felt more relaxed then he had in years.

He looked at her with consternation and shook his head. "I'm sorry... I just... I don't know what it is about you. I was just going to wipe the frosting from your lips, but then... I needed to kiss you, and..." he smiled at her almost apologetically. Things did not need to become more complicated between them.

Carla shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It just happened. I for one, don't regret it. That was incredible." she leaned toward him and kissed his mouth softly, and then looked at him with her sweet warm brown eyes.

"We'll chalk it all up to pregnancy hormones, right?" she laughed, and a smile spread over his face as well. Both of them were silently agreeing to let it go.

Daniel watched her as she dressed again and he shook his head. She was something else, he thought to himself. He knew he had to go, though, and he stood up, hugging her goodbye.

He was almost reluctant to leave, but he knew that he had a date with Brooke that night and work was waiting for him after that, and so he forced himself to say goodbye.

He should have felt more guilty than he did when he arrived to meet Brooke at the theater after coming from Carla's bed, but as soon as the sulky blonde began to complain about the location of the seats and the temperature of the air in the room. Any shred of guilt he had vanished and as he watched the performance unfold on stage, his mind was still in Carla's apartment thinking of a much more exciting show.

Over the following weeks, Daniel saw more and more of Carla. He started inventing reasons to see her just because his time with Carla in her bakery or at her apartment was about the only time that he felt his life fell down for the moment. He was very skilled at presenting a confident and controlled facade to the world, but it was only with Carla that he truly felt calm.

At four months pregnant, Carla was still incredibly slim and barely showing at all. Daniel's attraction to her was growing stronger every time he laid eyes on her bright smile and beautiful eyes. He loved spending time in her company, with her understanding ways and kind words. One night after weeks of restraint, the two-time only event happened again.

Daniel had been visiting Carla to talk about making plans to buy things for the baby when she felt a cramp in her back and he massaged it for her. His hands moved over her bare skin in a rhythmic motion and with each stroke, heat enveloped them both, and in minutes, they were locked in each other's arms, twisting and turning with one another in her bed, clinging to one another until they both came, lost in their passion and growing emotion.

Lily was the only person that Carla could talk to about her encounters with Daniel. Lily was utterly captivated by the developing bond between them, and practically screamed in frustration every time Carla said that nothing between her and Daniel had changed.

"You should stop hooking up and start, you know,
being
together." Lily urged her. "You clearly can't keep your hands off each other. Why not make it a permanent arrangement?"